SPEAKER_01 1:05

Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Welcome to Come On Up, the radio ministry of the Mountain Cross in Waynesville, North Carolina.

SPEAKER_02 1:20

If you give 10% as a tithe, it's an acknowledgement that it's all God's. It's to help our flesh to recognize if I give 10%, that means it's really all the Lord's. It's all the Lord's. And then they recognized this all of a sudden. And it wasn't about their livelihood. It wasn't about their comfort anymore. Now it's about glorifying God and being a good manager and taking care of my new brothers and sisters in Christ.

SPEAKER_00 1:49

Ask anyone who's into politics whether they think the government wastes money, and they will likely say yes, regardless of their political affiliation. It is so important that the government spend money wisely, because it's not their money. It belongs to the taxpayers. In today's message, Pastor Carl teaches that similarly, you should be wise and careful with your belongings. They aren't yours after all. They belong to God, who has entrusted them to your care for the time being. And now, here's Pastor Carl.

SPEAKER_02 2:28

Acts chapter 4, verse 5. And it came to pass on the next day that their rulers, elders, and scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. Verse 7. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power and by what name have you done this? This guy is healed. How did you do it? Why did you do it? Whose name did you use? And so in verse 8, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, this wasn't Peter, the same Peter, foot and mouth disease, Peter. This was filled with the Holy Ghost, Peter. This was Peter anointed by God and speaking the words that God gave him to speak, Peter. He said to them, rulers of the people and elders of Israel, if we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means has he been made well? Let it be known to you all and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man stands before you whole. Now he's not just trying to talk bad to these people. In fact, the truth is we have all put Jesus on the cross. We crucified our Lord. It was our sin that put him there. But the deal was he willingly did that. That was part of the plan of God. God put him there in order to pay the price for our sin so that we could be redeemed and brought back into fellowship with him. Jesus did it. Jesus of Nazareth did it. Not us, he did it. And you crucified him, but God raised him from the dead. There's good news in the bad news. Verse 11. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Peter is declaring that Jesus is the one we've been waiting for. He is the Messiah. He is the chief cornerstone, and he is quoting from Psalm 118. And this is it. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercies endure forever. Let Israel now say his mercy endures forever. Let the house of Aaron now say, let his mercy endures forever. Let those who fear the Lord now say, His mercy endures forever. I called on the Lord in distress. The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. The Lord is on my side. I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me. There I shall see my desire on those who hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. All the nations surround me, but in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. They surround me. Yes, they surround me, but in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. They surrounded me like bees, they were quenched like fire thorns, for in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. You pushed me violently that I might fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous. The right hand of the Lord does valiantly, the right hand of the Lord is exalted, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly. I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord has chastened me severely, he has not given me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness, and I will go through them, and I will praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord, through which the righteous shall enter. For I will praise you, for you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made. O Lord, I pray, save, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. God is the Lord, and he has given us light. Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you. You are my God and I will exalt you. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. This is who Peter is referring to. The chief cornerstone, Jesus, the one who is on our side. The one that has come and he's scolded us, but he's taken care of our enemies and he's built us up, and he's given Peter this boldness to declare the good news of who Jesus is. And if those that are in position of authority do not recognize who Jesus is, well, I can't stand silent. I will declare who Jesus is. That's the context of which Peter is saying this. And so at verse 13, now when they, the the the Sanhedrin board, when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. Weren't you saying these guys came from Galilee? Galilee? They're nothing but fishermen up there. They've never been to college or anything. Not even seminary. How could they be speaking this way? And so they marveled. So they realized that uh they had been with Jesus. These guys haven't been to any school or anything, they haven't had any training, but boy, they speak with wisdom. And wow, that's amazing. And they were with Jesus. The same Jesus that we'd put on trial a few months ago. I thought we took care of him. Now he's still causing trouble among us. And here's where it where the problem lies, doesn't it? They start recognizing the work of God in their midst, and yet they deny it because of their position, because of their power, because of their prestige. And seeing that the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. How can they say that this man isn't healed when he's standing there and they all know he's been there for decades at that gate, unable to walk, begging? What kind of story are they going to make up to cover this? I mean, it happened. This guy was healed, and what can they do about it? Verse 15. But when they had commanded them to go outside of the council, they said, Excuse us for just a little bit. They excused them while they, you know, talked among themselves. They conferred among themselves, saying, What shall we do to these men? For indeed that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident. All who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them that from now on they speak to no man in this name. Okay, we're gonna let this slide, but we can't let anything like this happen again. They can't mention Jesus, and we're gonna make them know that you know they're not allowed to speak in the name of Jesus. So in verse 18, when they called them back in, they commanded them not to speak at all, nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, they say, whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than God you judge. You know, I we don't mean to offend you. We we recognize that you are in a position of authority, that that God has has placed you there, which which makes it hard for us because we're hearing from God and we we just need to be faithful to him. So you judge it. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. You know, we we were taught by Jesus for three years. We saw him die, we saw him resurrect, he met with us many times between that time that he rose again from the grave and and we saw him being ascended into heaven. And he's coming back. It's real. He he changed Peter. Peter, who denied Jesus three times, was restored by Jesus three times. And now he's filled with the Holy Spirit and he's speaking with boldness. He can't deny what has happened to him, and he knows this is what the world needs to hear. They need the gospel, others need the same healing that I've received, Peter says. And I don't know if I can do what you're telling me to do. I need to proclaim the name of the Lord. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go. Again, Peter, who denied Jesus three times because somebody just said, Didn't you know him? Just some bystander, instead of, you know, these folks that could sentence him to death, now saying, Don't say Jesus, and he's saying, I gotta say Jesus, sorry. And they threatened him some more. We're serious, don't say Jesus' name. Then they let them go, finding no way of punishing them because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. How ironic it is. They can't deny that God did a work, and they can't deny that the people are glorifying God because of this instance, and yet they still deny God. They deny God that has done this. They decide what they do based on popular opinion, but they have no real conviction in their hearts except for the fact that we need to stay in power. We're in charge, and in this particular situation, we just need to let it go. Instead of saying, wow, you know what? Maybe this is the Messiah, and we need to repent and turn to him and find life and wholeness. I want some of that healing. They did not do that. And in verse 22, for the man was over 40 years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed. There's no way he could have been pretending for 40 years that he was lame and then go home and walk home. Somebody's gonna see it. Something's gonna happen, something's gonna come out, but it never did. Because he's he was really healed, he was really changed, and they couldn't talk anything against that. And so in verse 29, being let go, they went to their own companions and and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And and they're they're not going, guys, we need to be careful now because if we say Jesus, they're gonna put us in jail, they're gonna do something else. No, they said, Guess what happened? We proclaimed Jesus to the to the leaders. And and and they they they slapped us on our wrist and let us go, and here we are. And how did the people react? So when they heard that in verse 23, they raised their voice to God and with one accord said, Lord, you are God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. You are the one that's working in this situation. God, you are the creator. And in fact, God, the creator, you are the same Jesus that we know, that we've come to know. You made it all, you own it all, and we acknowledge this before you. You own us. So, Lord, have your way with us. Do we have that heart? Do we recognize that Jesus is the creator of all things and everything that he made, he owns, including you. You belong to him, especially if you've given your life to him and surrendered and have been changed by him and born again. And then they go and quote another psalm in verse 25 who by the mouth of your servant David have said, Why did the nations rage and the people plot vain things? The kings of earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. The leaders that were supposed to be the representatives of God before man have come against the Lord, have come against his anointed, the Messiah. And here they are quoting from Psalm chapter 2. And let me read that for you to understand the context. Psalm 2, why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us. Verse 4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall hold them in derision. He shall speak to them in his wrath, and distress them in his deep displeasure. Yet I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree. The Lord has said to me, You are my son. Today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possessions. You shall break them with a rod of iron, you shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel. Now therefore, be wise, O kings, be instructed, you judges of the earth, serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way. When his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are those who put their trust in him. We trust you, Lord. This is what the church is saying now. The newly born church filled with the Holy Spirit, and they're convinced this is God. This is the God who's on our side. And if we're not on his side, then we're enemies of him, and he's going to smash us to pieces. But if we trust in him, he's our advocate. I want to be on his side. Don't you? So in verse 27, they continue to praise to the Lord. For truly, against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel who were gathered together to do whatever they planned to do. No, that's not what it says. To do whatever your hand and your purpose determined to be done. This is a great mystery in the sovereignty of God. These were people who were coming against the Lord's anointed. Against Jesus. And yet, that was part of God's plan. See, we put Jesus on the cross. And yet he willingly went on the cross because that was part of God's plan. He took the sin of the world upon his cross, but in order to get to the cross, he needed to be betrayed by these leaders, which would have done this anyway. So God used it in his plan to accomplish his purposes. And the disciples in the new church here are acknowledging that fact. That God, you are at work. And things that seem to be against us, there are, you use them for our favor, for good. In verse 29, now, Lord, look on their threats and grant to your servants that with all boldness we may pound them and destroy them. It doesn't say that either, does it? That with all boldness they may speak your word by stretching out your hand to heal, and that the signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus. What do they ask in the light of their enemies? They ask, will you fill us with your spirit so we can boldly proclaim the word of God? And through your Holy Spirit, through the proclamation of the word, that you would bring signs and wonders, the same sort of signs and wonders that Jesus did to prove who he was, the Messiah. Now use that same power, Lord, in our lives to proclaim the fact that we are servants of Jesus, the Most High God. And these signs and wonders follow in proving it. But the signs and wonders are not the chief end. The chief end is proclaiming the word of God. Because it's through the word of God that we know the truth, that we get to know the living word, Jesus Christ, the one who's come to save us from our sin. So bring that healing, Lord. And even our leaders, even our Jewish religious leaders that have no clue, Lord, would you open their eyes? Would you open their ears and their hearts to receive the truth from your word that they know deep within them? But something is causing them to deny it, to refuse it. Lord, would you change them? And in verse 39, and when they had prayed, the place they were assembled in together was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. The Lord answered their prayer. The Lord filled them with the Holy Spirit again with a great shaking. May the Holy Spirit come and fall on us so that we could boldly proclaim the truth of the gospel. Because frankly, that's our only hope. Jesus is our only hope. And the truth of who he is is in the Word. If we recognize the Word of God as the Word of God, and we recognize that we need the power of the Holy Spirit to understand it and to proclaim it, then we can be in a position that we're actually used by God to accomplish something. But if we don't think the word is a big deal, if we think just being nice to people is the answer, we've missed it all. And we give them things and we bless their lives, but they don't have what they need for eternity, which is the truth of the Word of God. Verse 32. Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul, neither did anyone say that any of the things that they possessed was their own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and with great grace, and great grace was upon them. Nor were there any among them that who lacked. For all who were possessors of lands and houses sold them and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and they laid them at the apostles' feet, and they distributed to each other as they had need. Something funny happens when you come to the Lord and you recognize that He's the owner of everything. He created all things, he owns all things. And so you recognize that I really don't own anything. I'm a manager of the things that He's given me to do. And even the debate about About giving 10% of your income. If I give 10% back to God, the rest is mine. No, the truth is it's all God's. And if you give 10% as a tithe, it's an acknowledgement that it's all God's. It's to help our flesh to recognize if I give 10%, that means it's really all the Lord's. It's all the Lord's. And then they recognize this all of a sudden. And then it wasn't about their livelihood, it wasn't about their comfort anymore. Now it was about glorifying God and being a good manager and taking care of my new brothers and sisters in Christ. You got to realize that this again was Pentecost and people had come from hundreds of miles around to be a part of the festival. And it was about time to go home. But now something happened. They became a Christian. 5,000 of them became Christians. And they didn't want to go home. They wanted to grow in this new knowledge of who the Lord is now and my new relationship and this church thing. And this is all new and exciting. And I can't go. I'm not equipped yet to go. But I used up all my budget for this trip already, and I don't know what I'm going to do. So others that were a lot of them local who had land to sell, they would sell their land so these people would have a place to stay, have food to eat. Well, they all grew in the Lord together. I believe that's what the context is of what's happening here. And that that begs the question for us. How do we look at the things that we have? Do they belong to me? Or do we have them with hope in hands and saying, Lord, this is all yours? And when the Lord says, I want you to take that, I want you to sell that, and I want you to give a certain amount to these people for this purpose, because I'm sending them to go over there to do something. When we see that, we recognize that the Lord is at work and we willingly do that. It's a supernatural thing. It goes against our flesh. Our flesh is all about taking care of myself, building my own kingdom.

SPEAKER_00 25:07

You're listening to Come On Up with Pastor Carl from the Mountain Cross. We hope you enjoyed the message, learned something new, and felt the Holy Spirit speak into your life. We believe the Word of God is powerful and active and can transform lives for eternity. That's why we teach directly from the Bible. And we will continue our study through the Book of Acts next time. If you enjoy the simple teaching through the Word here on Come On Up, would you let others know about it? Share us with your family and friends. Tell them to listen on the radio or on their favorite podcast app. Subscribe for more Bible teaching, share in your social media feeds, and leave a review to get the word out. We're always grateful for new listeners, especially those who want to grow in the Word. Come On Up comes to you from The Mountain Cross, a group of believers in Jesus who seek to grow in faith by simply teaching the Bible, verse by verse, chapter by chapter. We meet Sunday mornings at 10 at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville. Learn more about us at themountaincross.com. If you're not local to Western North Carolina, we encourage you to check out a Bible-teaching church near you. It's essential to gather with other believers to navigate this topsy turvy world together. Where Jesus is preached, there's hope for today and for the future. Thanks for listening. Come on up to the mountain with us again next time as we seek to learn more from the Lord through His Word. Come on Up is sponsored by The Mountain Cross, a Calvary Chapel fellowship.